Tradition works like a charm in villages

Zhejiang province boasts dozens of villages that are somewhat off the beaten path and not overly commercial. 

On today's tour, stop in a village famous for its dragon legend, another that was home to an ancient folk performance, one featuring academic and artistic ambience, and another, close to Fujian Province, with a long history of making porcelain.

Longgong Village

The village is in Ninghai County. Longgong literally means dragon palace in Chinese, which implies the village has a dragon link.

In the west of the village there is a pond that has never dried up for centuries. The limpid water comes from a mysterious cave and sometimes waves roll with foam in the pond. Villagers believe it is caused by a secluded dragon that lives there.

About 99 percent of Longgong's villagers are surnamed Chen and they take the dragon as a totem. The totems are seen in every corner of the village.

The village also boasts Tiantai Buddhist Temple, which is named after the mountain range. Over many years it has been an important destination for pilgrims.

Since the establishment of the village in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Longgang has avoided wars and natural disasters. Thus villagers believe they are blessed by the hidden dragon and Buddha.

In addition, there are 18 creeks flowing into three rivers that are flanked by centuries-old trees in the village. Most of the homes have while-walls and black-tiled roofs in a style that dates back about 1,000 years.

How to get there: Shanghai-Kunming Expressway—Hangzhou Bay Sea-crossing Bridge—Shenyang-Haikou Expressway—S311 Expressway